Shishito Pepper Summer Salad
Raw corn, bright flavors and quickly sautéed shishito peppers make this salad one of my summer favorites. It's slightly spicy, earthy from the walnuts and so filling. Proving once and again that an amazing salad doesn't always start with lettuce.
By Exeter Produce
Jul 17, 2025Prep Time
15Cook Time
12Servings
2Nutritional Info
Ingredients
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil plus more as needed
1 dash of white wine vinegar
Salt to taste
2 ears of corn
2 jalapeños
1 small red onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup mint leaves loosely packed
1 lemon
3 cups shishito peppers
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup walnut halves
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan for topping
Method
Begin by making the basil oil. Blanch the basil by adding the leaves to a colander. Submerge the colander in boiling water for 15 seconds, then immediately transfer the leaves to a bowl of ice water.
Put the blanched basil in a small blender, along with 1/4 cup olive oil and a splash of white wine vinegar. Blend until smooth and season with salt to taste. Set aside.
Cut the corn kernels from the cob, finely chop the jalapeno (remove the seeds if you don't like spice!) and finely dice the red onion. Use a chiffonade cut to chop the mint, and use a microplane to grate the garlic and zest the lemon. Add all of these ingredients to a large bowl.
Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the corn mixture, and add a glug of olive oil. Mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Next remove the stems from the shishito peppers and cut them cross-wise into circular pieces, each no thicker than 1 cm.
Put a pan on medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the peppers to the pan. Add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
Add the walnuts to the pan, toss to coat and cook another 2 minutes or until the walnuts are toasted. Season with salt to taste and remove from the pan.
To plate the salad, evenly spread the corn mixture onto your plate. Top with a generous serving of the shishito peppers. Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan on top. Mix and serve!
About Us
Located in Southwestern Ontario, Exeter Produce is a grower and packer with over six decades of food handling experience.
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